In brief…(301) Two interesting series

On February 9, the Rabbit made way for the Dragon in the Chinese Lunar Calendar. By now, 36 countries have already featured the Dragon, according to an update from Bitter Grounds Magazine. These are: Åland, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, China, Christmas Island, Isle of Man, France, Gibraltar, Hong Kong, Hungary, Japan, Jersey, South Korea, Liechtenstein, Macau, Malaysia, Malta, Moldova, Mongolia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Philippines, Polynesia, Romania, Serbia, Singapore, Sint Maarten, Taiwan, Thailand, United Nations, United States, and Vietnam. It is almost one hundred percent certain that in the course of philatelic history, not a single country, state, or island can be found that has never dedicated a stamp to a flower, or flowers, or a stamp or series of stamps. Thus, while looking for something else, I came across two flower stamps under the title Wildflowers that Canada had issued on March 1, namely Asclepius tuberosa/tuber milkweed and Monarda punetata/mint. In itself, therefore, not a particularly remarkable discovery, were it not that this issue was a continuation of a series that had already been started in 2007. So, before they finish blooming, a brief overview: 2007, lilac, 2008, peony, 2009, rhododendron, 2010, African violet, 2011, sunflowers, 2012, daylilies, 2013, magnolia, 2014, roses, 2015, passion flower, 2016, hydrangea, 2017, daisy, 2018, lotus, 2019, gardenia, 2020, dahlia, 2021, wild apple blossom, 2022, Cali lily, 2023, buttercup, and now, wild-growing flowers. As for series, the most famous “flower series” is the German permanent series “Bloemen,” which was succeeded a few years ago by the series Welt der Briefe. Finally, another NATO stamp. Last September, Finland issued a stamp to commemorate the country's accession to NATO. On May 8, however, Finland issued another NATO stamp, but with this one, Finland wishes—quite unusually—to commemorate the fact that Sweden has also become a member of the alliance. The stamp features the NATO logo and the Swedish flag. We are now waiting for a Swedish NATO stamp.